The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan

Zoya Solanki, an advertising executive, handling a soft drink campaign turns up at Indian Cricket team's breakfast just before a crucial match. Team wins the match against significant odds and thus starts Zoya's innings as Lady Luck for the team.

Zoya has the dubious distinction of being born at the exact minute the Indian Team won the world cup in the 80s. Once this bit of news gets out, the cricket crazy nation goes on a Zoya frenzy. From being idolized to being stalked, baited and eventually hated, Zoya's unexciting life becomes a roller coaster ride through the power corridors of the game that is looked upon as a religion in the Asian subcontinent. As if her life wasn't messed up enough, Zoya too is falling for the Captain of the team, Nikhil Khoda, who has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't like this Zoya Factor nonsense one bit. Will someone please give this girl a breather?

As far as romances go, this one has all the right elements. Predictable but fun.

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Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child

Jeremy Logan, the self professed enigmologist, the researcher of the occult, comes across some recently declassified documents in the government archives. His interest is piqued by the odd sounding, brief report of a scientific project gone horribly wrong at an Alaskan military base which also happened to host a scientific research team at the time. He is so interested in the event that he lands up at the base.

Situated in the Federal Wildlife Zone in the Artic region, close to the last Native settlement, a scientific team has unearthed something truly fascinating. It is a discovery that could bring laurels or lead them to their doom. Jury is still out on that one when a high profile documentary production team lands in all its glory to unveil this discovery to the world outside . But as they say ' Best laid plans’. Things start to go horribly wrong and how.

As far as thrillers go, I wouldn't call this book great. Definitely has its shiny moments and a bloody messy (in a literal sense) climax but falls pale when compared to Deep Storm. The middle reads like a movie script. Not your usual fare but imagine something created by Micheal Bay (for the mindless destruction) or Guillermo Del Toro (for the grotesque imagery). Definitely not a pretty picture, that's for sure.

Lincoln Child's Deep Storm was a wonderful discovery I made while I was out looking for something entirely different. So my expectations with Terminal Freeze were supremely high. I'll still give this series a chance and try another book in the series before I decide if I have had enough. 

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The Blindman's Garden by Nadeem Aslam

I have been told that Nadeem Aslam is a magician with a pen for a wand. After reading this book I can vouch for the said statement. 

With a prose that is simple yet lyrical, he weaves a story of Joe and Mikal, brothers not by birth, lost in the jungle of terrorism. Set in Pakistan and Afghanistan, we are taken through a world filled with deception, violence and hatred. When Joe and Mikal leave for Afghanistan with the intention of tending to the sick, little do they realize that it is not easy to escape the clutches of the violence. 

The birds trapped in the contraptions in Rohan’s (Joe’s father) garden are merely symbolic of the present situation of the subjects in these nations. The story that begins with the entry of Joe and Mikal in to Afghanistan and subsequently into the heart of the terror central. We also witness the lives of those they leave behind. A family that suffers in their absence and yearns for their return. A nearly blind father whose memories of his dead wife are cruel reminders of his religious beliefs and her secular convictions. It gives way to pages of internal debate on religion and fundamentalism. Also portrayed with great sensitivity is the woman who is central to both Joe and Mikal’s life and much stronger than we initially consider her to be. The book is cruel and violent in its description but so is the world. I don't think there is any way to sugar coat and make the experiences nicer for the convenience of the readers. It is what it is.

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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Helicopter parenting has become sort of second nature in today’s extremely competitive world. Parents thrive on their child's achievements, wither when the child falls short of glory. They go to extreme lengths to provide their younglings the extra edge needed to shine. It does not matter if the kids in question are kindergartners or board exam aspirants. 

In this absurd world of over involved parents and impressionable kids, Liane Moriarty finds the ground for her book. It is a Trivia Night gone wrong with extremely tragic consequences. People involved trace back the events, from as early as beginning of the school term and a very convoluted picture of what went on and its triggers emerges. Nothing is as it seems on the surface. People have been hiding terrible secrets and it is a matter of time before they explode and destroy a lot more than just school property.

Parents are a strange breed and characters from Big Little Lies are no exception. Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Bonnie and Renata are caricatures of modern parents. Caring to the point of over involvement, passionate, flawed but protective of their cubs like fierce lionesses es. It is with these women, and their families does Moriarty sketch her masterpiece. She deals with a lot of issues in one rather lengthy book. There is domestic violence, handling of difficult teenagers, dynamics of divorced couples and not once, owing to multitude of themes, does the story falter. 

If this is your first Liane Moriarty book, you are in for a crazy ride. Just keep in mind her plots can seamlessly transition from funny to thrilling to tragic with the flick of a page. Not that anyone complains but it is always better to go in knowing that piece of information. 

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Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

The process of reading this graphic novel was one of steadfast determination. Ask me why? I was hungry ever so often while looking at lovely illustrations and the mouth watering descriptions of gourmet foods, street snacks, cakes and cookies. There is only so much one can resist! I finally decided that the best way to go ahead with reading this book was to have a huge bowl of pasta with tomato garlic pesto next to me as I devoured page after page of Lucy Knisley’s autobiographical gastronomical journey. 

Born to New Yorker parents who appreciated good food, Lucy had her encounter with gourmet dishes and elaborate preparations much before she discovered the usual fare of junk food. From toddler years in New York to her teens in the countryside and later to arts school in Chicago, Lucy was always surrounded by foodie corners and people who influenced her palate with their distinctive styles. The most important among them being her mother, an arts school graduate, who she says is among the best and most versatile cooks and also a caterer by profession who catered to the likes of Annie Leibovitz. 

Lucy’s food memories are so tangible that thanks to her excellent medium of description, mouth waters at the mention of enchiladas, her mother’s famous basil pesto and the most delicious croissants she reminisces about. These famed croissants in question were the ones Lucy had in the city of Venice in a bakery close to her hotel with the yummiest core of apricot jam and buttery layering. The struggle to make them at home with similar effect on her palate lead to the point of a nervous breakdown with exhaustion which needed a friend to finally intervene and stop her. Incidents like this are scattered in various sections of the book reminding readers like me that food memories are hardest to erase. 

The beauty of the book lies in Lucy’s ability to laugh at herself and her adventures. Needless to say there are many adventures that will keep the reader engrossed though not in an entirely chronological order. Divided in to chapters based on foods of her choice and sometimes on events, the book sees Lucy from her time on high chair to the point of her being an illustrator who loves cooking, working alongside her mother, whom she regards as Demeter to her Persephone!

This book is an invaluable addition to any book shelf .

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Shehaan

If this was a fairy tale, Rose would be Sleeping Beauty.

A new age variant of the loved princess, whose uber rich parents left her cryo-preserved, while the world around her crumpled of disease, war and disasters. Protected in her cocoon of chemicals for 62 years and let out by a sheer act of curiosity, Rose hardly feels like a princess. She is a misfit. The connection to the life she knew before is strong that she hardly feels for anything in this new world. People don't help either. She is a freak and Rose agrees. 

The world Sheehan creates is not without flaws. The bleak  new world may not be all that to a regular reader of dystopian, but the plot which deals with ethical issues especially in terms of parenting makes up for anything lacking in the setup. Limited in scope but has a lot of heart.

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